'RED RIBBON WEEK' CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN MISSISSIPPI

We Must Help Children To Make The Right Choices

Every child in Mississippi has great promise and potential, and we have an
obligation to help that child live up to it. Part of that obligation
includes teaching children to make the right choices in life.

Between Oct. 23-31 each year, the emphasis on our obligation is increased
as we observe "Red Ribbon Week" in our schools and communities. Across
Mississippi, thousands of children are taking a stand for their future.

The history behind "Red Ribbon Week" began in a dirt-floored home in
California, where Enrique "Kiki" Camarena grew up. After working his way
through college and serving in the United States Marines, Camarena went to
work with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

His mother tried to talk him out of it. "I'm only one person," he said,
"but I want to make a difference."

Working undercover in Mexico in 1985, Camarena disappeared one day as he
went to meet his wife for lunch. Weeks later, his body was found. He had
been killed by members of a drug cartel.

His family and friends began wearing red ribbons to remember him and to
demonstrate their determination to fight substance abuse. In 1988, the
National Family Partnership organized the first nationwide "Red Ribbon
Week," and millions of children have been involved since.

Nearly one million Mississippians are under the age of 19, and the impact
they will have on the future of our state is massive. We must work to make
sure that impact is influenced by a desire for long-term success, not a
desire for short-term satisfaction.

Drugs, alcohol and tobacco are the enemies in our work. Our weapons include
a commitment to education, listening, caring, mentoring and being there for
our children. We need to match our financial investment in education with a
personal investment in a child's life.

We can give our children textbooks for school, but we should also take the
time to coach a sports team. We can set accountability standards in
education, but we need to take time to help with homework. We can talk to
our children, but we have a responsibility to be there for them when it's
time to listen.

Rudyard Kipling once wrote, "words are the most powerful drug used by
mankind." Our kids need to find their satisfaction in words of
encouragement. The end result will be worth it.

"Red Ribbon Week" comes once a year, but its message should echo around the
state every day. For the children, it's a message that reinforces their
promise, their worth, and their hope for the future.

For the rest of us, it's a little more simple: "I'm only one person, but I
want to make a difference."

* To contact Gov. Ronnie Musgrove, write Box 139, Jackson MS 39205,
call (601) 359-3100 or e-mail governor@governor.state.ms.us.